


Just the wrong size

by Clocketpatch



Category: Doctor Who & Related Fandoms, Sarah Jane Adventures
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-02
Updated: 2015-11-02
Packaged: 2018-04-29 13:18:33
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 914
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5129021
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Clocketpatch/pseuds/Clocketpatch
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sarah-Jane searches for the source of an alien signal</p>
            </blockquote>





	Just the wrong size

The aisles of the charity shop were crowded with odds and ends. Sarah-Jane stalked them methodically waving her sonic lipstick at the merchandise. The lack of reaction from the cashier (Sarah-Jane expected at least to have been questioned by now) suggested that either he was possessed, or he was thoroughly jaded to the sorts of eccentrics who wandered in for a browse.

Sarah-Jane somewhat suspected the latter. There was a young lady two aisles over with a stuffed parrot on her shoulder, a leather bomber jacket, and a pressing desire to find a blender. Neither the parrot lady, nor the cashier, were aliens. Sarah-Jane had checked. So far, she'd found no evidence of aliens whatsoever. She pulled out her phone and texted back to base.

**Mr. Smith is certain this is the location of the ship?**

**yes hes put up a big blinking map and everything** Sky texted back.

Sarah-Jane frowned at the lack of punctuation, but thought better of saying anything. At least Sky wasn't using txt speak. Yet. That she knew of.

Sarah-Jane sighed went to the back of the store, planning to re-trace her steps back to the front. Maybe there was a trap door hidden in the floor? Or a hatch in the ceiling? Or a multi-dimensional camouflage screen? She stopped. Suspended on a rack before her was one of the most beautiful dresses Sarah-Jane had ever seen.

It was blue. Sapphire blue. Sky blue. TARDIS blue. It looked about Sky's size. Sarah-Jane immediately texted her a picture.

**is this a shopping trip now?!?!**

**It's nice, and just your size, and only 2£**

The phone rang and Sarah-Jane answered it.

"Thanks, but no," Sky said.

"I might get it for myself then," Sarah-Jane said.

"No offense meant, Mom, but the dress in that picture isn't going to fit you."

Sarah-Jane stroked the sleeve of the dress between her thumb and forefinger. The fabric was smooth and silky, push and velvety, cotton-like and airy – it defied description. It felt like a dream. Sarah-Jane grabbed the hanger, manoeuvred it off the rack one-handed, and held it against herself.

"Pictures can be deceiving," she told Sky, "you know, I think it's going to be a perfect fit. I wish you could see it in person. This is the most splendid dress."

"Have you scanned it for alien tech?"

"Why would I do that?"

"Because you're not normally this into clothes, and Mr. Smith is making a very angry beeping sound."

"Nonsense, Sky, it's just an ordinary dres –" Sarah-Jane was halted in mid-sentence by the parrot lady barreling into her, knocking her phone and the dress out of her hands. The phone cracked against the tiles. Sky's voice, made small by distance, asked, "What's going on? Are you alright? Mom?"

Sarah-Jane scrambled to retrieve the dress, but the parrot woman stopped her, putting herself physically between it and Sarah-Jane.

"Don't touch it!" She shouted. "Do you want to get trapped inside too?"

"What are you talking about?" Sarah-Jane asked, trying to force her way past the woman.

"Listen, just go home. Pick up your phone, tell who ever's on the other end that you're fine, and go home. This isn't something you want to be involved with."

Sarah-Jane blinked slowly. She picked up the phone. "I'm fine, Sky, and I think I've found the ship, and managed to embarrass myself quite a bit."

Then she examine the parrot woman. "I'm not usually that gullible," Sarah-Jane told her, "but I've been possessed a time or two in the past, and that can have a cumulative effect. My name is Sarah-Jane Smith, free-lance journalist and problem solver. You'd better tell me what's going on."

"Ace McShane," the woman said, shaking Sarah-Jane's hand. "You aren't an alien, and I know you aren't responsible for that – " she motioned at the dress " – which doesn't mean I trust you."

"You said someone was trapped in there?" Sarah-Jane said, scanning the dress with her lipstick. The readings were all coming back alien. It was some kind of multi-dimensional camouflage screen, with an in-build persuasion circuit. It was also getting bigger by the moment. Sarah-Jane took a step back.

"It started out doll-sized," Ace said. "Then my friend, the Professor, he took it into the… um… well, it's called a TARDIS and its where we live. But it kind of fused with the TARDIS and I managed to get out but…"

"I should have known the Doctor was involved," Sarah-Jane said.

"You're mates?"

"We used to travel together."

"He's never mentioned you."

"No, that seems to be a habit with him. Do you have any plan for this?"

"If the Doctor weren't inside I'd chuck container of Nitro9 at it and hope for the best, but as is I'm doing my best to keep anyone else from getting stuck inside. That's what the parrot was for. The zombie up at the cash actually threatened to call the police on me when I tried to block the shop door, but me muttering in the back? That he had no problem with. And it was working pretty okay until you showed up."

"But not actually solving the problem," Sarah-Jane pointed out.

"Well, do you have any brilliant ideas?"

"I have a gang of highly intelligent and resourceful young adults, a super computer, and a wonderful robot dog, I'm certain we'll be able to come up with something."

Ace seemed to ponder that for a moment, then grinned. "Ace! The Professor has the best friends."

 

 

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> For Liatbunny's meme fic prompt: The Seventh Doctor & Sarah-Jane Smith deal with ever expanding clothes
> 
> Plus added H/C bingo prompt: Unwanted transformation
> 
> Alas, Seven stubbornly refused to make an appearance, but he's there in spirit. And in a dress.


End file.
